The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

Here bigynneth a general prolog for alle the bokis of profetis suynge [From EPY. Prologe. I. Another prolog on Isaye and othere profetis. K. Prolog on Ysaye. N. Prolog on the profetis. V. No initial rubric in the other MSS.] .

As seynt Jerom seith in the prolog of Ysaie, Isaie is ful witti and ful opyn in his writyng in Ebreu, thouȝ the translacioun in to Latyn miȝte not kepe the [Om. I.] fairnesse of speche. Isaye is worthi to be seid not oneli a profete, but more, a gospellere, for he declarith so opynli the mysteries [misteries, ether priuetees EPY.] of Crist and of hooli chirche, that thou gesse hym not oneli [Om. A pr. m. I.] to ordeyne a [Om. EY.] profesie of thing to comynge, but to ordeyne a storie of thingis passid. Ysaie profesiede in Jerusalem and in Judee, whanne the ten lynagis of Israel weren not ȝit led in to caitiftee; and he ordeyneth a [Om. C et ceteri.] profesie of euer either rewme, sum tyme of both togidere, sum tyme of ech bi it silf. And whanne Ysaie biholdith sum tyme to the present storie, and signefieth the comynge aȝen of the puple in to Judee aftir the caitifte of Babiloyne, netheles al his bisynesse, that is, principal entent, is of the clepyng of hethene men, and of the comyng of Crist. Al this is the sentence of Jerom in the prolog of [on K.] Ysaie. Here it is to vndurstonde, that Isaie bigan to profesie bifore that the ten lynagis weren led in to caitiftee of Assiriens, as Jerom seith here; but he profesiede aftir this caitiftee, aftir Ezechies deth, in the tyme of Manasses, as it is seid in the fourthe book of Kyngis the [Om. FS.] twentithe chapitre [capitle K.] , and in many mo places. This seith `a postille [the apostle K. apostle F.] on Jeroms prolog on Ysaie. For as Ebreis seien, and Lire witnessith on the firste chapitre of Isaie, Manasses ordeynede and demyde Isaye to be sawid with ynne a cedre tree, that closid hym with ynne it silf bi myracle, whanne Manasses hadde demed hym vniustli to deth [the deeth S.] . Also alle profetis that ben not teld opynli in the text, whanne and in what tyme thei profesieden, profesieden in the same tyme in which the profetis goynge next bifore profesieden, that ben teld in the text vndur whiche kyngis and tymes thei profesieden, as Jerom seith in his prologe on the twelue Profetis, and it is sette in the bigynnyng of Osee. Comynli alle the derk places of the [Om. S.] profetis moun be vndurstondun liȝtli bi thre reulis. The firste is this, that the principal entent of the profetis is to declare the mysterie of Cristis incarnacioun, passioun, resurrec|cioun, ascensioun, and the [of the I.] comyng to [of R.] the general doom, and the pupplischyng of the gospel, and the conuercioun of hethene men, and the tribulacioun of hooli chirche in this lijf, and the blis of heuene therfor [therof EY.] . The secounde reule is this, that the profetis warnen the puple of Jewis of her grete synnes, and exciten hem to do

penaunce; and thanne thei schulen gete remyssioun of her synnes, and grace in present tyme, and glorie with outen ende; ellis thei schulen haue tribulacioun in this lijf, and peyn with outen ende. The thridde reule is this, that the profetis rehersen ofte [ofte tymes S.] benefices ȝouun of God bifor to the Jewis, to coumforte hem to ȝyue credence to goodis bihiȝt in her profesies; and thanne the stories of Moises lawe, ether [and S.] of Josue, Judicum, Regum, and Paralipomenon, and of othere historial [historials KS pr. m.] bookis schulen be wel lokid; and schortli to seie, the profetis schulen be expouned bi the text of Moises lawe, and of othere historial bookis of the Elde Testament, ether bi the text of the Newe Testament. The literal vndurstondyng of hooli scripture is the ground of al gostli vndurstondyng therof, that is, of allegorik, of moral, and of anagogik. No goostli vndurstondyng is autentik [autentik, ether preuable EPY.] , no [Om. I.] but it be groundid in the text opynli, ether in opyn resoun, suynge of principlis, ether reulis of feith [the feith S.] , as seynt Austin witnessith [seyth S.] opynli in his pistle to Vincente, Donatiste, and in his book of Soliloquies, and Jerom on Jonas, and Lire on the bigynnyng of Genesis, and in many placis of hooli scripture, and Ardmakan in his book of Questiouns of Armenyes. Therfor men moten seke the treuthe of the text, and be war of goostli vndurstondyng, ether moral fantasie, and ȝyue not ful credence therto, no but it be groundid opynly in the text of hooli writ, in o place or [ether FGKMNPQRSVUXY.] other, ethir in opyn resoun, that may not be auoidid; for ellis it wole as likyngli be applied to falsnesse as to treuthe, and it hath disseyued grete men in oure daies, bi ouer greet trist to [in KQ.] her fantasies. Literal ether historial vndurstondyng techith what thing is don; allegorik techith what we owen for [Om. R.] to bileue; moral ether tropologik techith what we owen to do to fle vices, and kepe vertues; anagogik techith what we owen to [for to FS.] hope of euerlastynge meede in heuene. Of these foure vndurstondyngis `schal be [is KS sec. m.] seid pleynlier, `if God wole [Om. S sec. m.] , on the bigyn|nyng of Genesis. Also it is to wyte, that the profetis speken sum tyme bi figuratif speche, and [and thei I.] liknen men to vnresonable beestis, and clepen men bi figuratif speche, liouns, beris [and beris S.] , culueris, and ofte [Om. C et ceteri.] othere vnresonable beestis, for certeyn synnes whiche thei vsen acordynge with the kyndis of vnresonable beestis; as men ben clepid liouns for pride, ether raueyn, ether sum other synne; and sum tyme a lioun signe|fieth Crist, for his power, and sum tyme a lioun signefieth the deuel, for tirauntrie and raueyn; and men ben clepid beeris, for gredynesse ether glotonye, and mulis, for letcherie; and so of othere beestis and othere synnes. Men ben clepid culueris sum time for madnesse, and sum tyme for innocence, symplenesse, and charite. Bi these reulis and bisi studiyng of the text, men moun liȝtli vndurstonde the derk placis of profetis; and algatis loke wel that the sentence takun of the text be trewe, and acorde [acoording KS sec. m.] with charyte, and thanne it is the sentence of the Hooli Goost, as seynt Austyn seith.

Here endith the prolog on Ysaye [Here endith the prologe on Isaie, and here bigynneth the text of Isaie. C. Here endith the prologe on Ysaie, and here bigynneth the book of Ysaie. FMNU. Here endith the prolog, and here bigynneth the book of Ysaie. GQ. Here endeth the prologe on Ysaie, and on othere profetis, and here bigynnethe the book of Ysaie. H. Heere endith the prologe, and biginnith Ysaie the prophete. I. Here eendeth the prolog; see now Isaie. K. Heere eendith the prolog, and bigynneth the firste c. of Ysaie. R. Here endith the prolog . . . . . profetis; and bygynneth the text of Isaie. S. Here endith the prolog on Isaye, and here bigynneth the text of Isaye. With a short glose on the derke wordis; and loke ech man, that he wryte the text hool bi itsilf, and the glose in the margyn, ether leue it al out. V. Here endith the prolog on the profetis, and bigynneth the booc of Isaie. X. No final rubric in EPY.] .